Saratoga NYGenWeb PROJECT
SARATOGA COUNTY, NEW YORK

After serving 40 years in the service of the British Army, Captain Daniel
McAlpin decided to make America his home. With his wife Mary and three
children, James Murray, Isabella and Mary, he settled at Saratoga Lake, then the
Town of Stillwater. In May of 1774 he purchased on the west side of Saratoga
Lake in the present Town of Malta between 900 and 1000 acres of land and
immediately proceeded to improve it. His first house was built in 1775 and he
managed to cultivate between 50 and 60 acres.His second house was built in 1776
and he made it his primary residence. Both houses were timber log plankered and
floored. The houses were valued at £100 and £200 respectively. A value of £1
Sterling per acre unimproved and £2.10 Sterling improved was placed on the
land.
Captain McAlpin had 20-25 servants in constant employ on his farm. By the
summer of 1777 there were at least 170 acres in high cultivation. James Campbell
a fellow Loyalist lived 25 miles from McAlpin. In March 1777 he was walking the
farm with McAlpin. He attests to "at least" 170 acres in high cultivation and states
that McAlpins farm was well stocked. He places a value of £250 Sterling on the
stock. Mr Campbell also tells us that McAlpin had a great deal of furniture which
he assumes to be worth about £125 Sterling. Mr Campbell also remembers that
there were "many hundreds of Bushels of wheat in the barn" and a "large quantity
of farm utensils."
Captain McAlpin purchased a large portion of his land at Saratoga Lake from
"one Palmer" according to testimony from his wife Mary McAlpin. One can
assume that this is Beriah Palmer who at the time was acting as an agent for
absentee land owners. McAlpin also purchased 125 acres from Edward and
Ebeneezer Jessup in 1775. The name Clarke has been associated with the
purchase and a claim of a mortgage was later placed against the estate by Thomas
Barry and Joshua Bloore. Barry and Bloore were Merchants of Albany NY. They
are listed as suppliers for the Continental army as well as their apparent business
of making loans against real estate. They also acted as bondsmen. Each were
members of St. Peter's Anglican Church of Albany. Captain McAlpin also was
granted 3000 acres of land in Gloucester which was then in the province of New
York but now in the state of Vermont. He received this by grant from Governor
Tyron in 1773. McAlpin also purchased 3000 acres from a Mr.Kelly and others
the same year. Mary McAlpin states that her husband owned "6000 acres on the
White River at a place called Sun Castle." All these acres as well as his estate at
Saratoga would be eventually seized by the New American Government. His
property at Saratoga was seized by order of the Albany Committee dated
9 October 1777. Michael Dunning of Malta, George Palmer of Stillwater and
James Gordon of Ballston as "Commisssioners Appointed by The State for the
Purpose of Securing Tory Effects" seized all McAlpin's land and effects.
Captain McAlpin was a staunch Loyalist and soon to find himself persecuted
by what he considered to be "a pack of Rebels". In August of 1775 Captain
McAlpin was summoned by the Committee of Albany to join the Rebel cause and
attend training with all his servants. Although the summons was repeated McAlpin
managed to avoid the order until May 1776. On the 18th of May McAlpin was
brought before the Albany Committee with Lt. Thomas Swords and John and
Thomas Mann. McAlpin refused to join the Rebels and it was ordered "Captain
McAlpin and Lieut. Swords to their lodgings with a sentry at their door." The
Manns were dismissed and released.
On the 5th of June 1776 it was ordered by the Committee that Captain
McAlpin, Lt. Swords and James Munro be "removed from the place where they
are now confined and confine them in the room prepared for them at the fort."
McAlpin and Swords with John Munro were put in the Tory Goal at the Fort in
Albany. McAlpin remained there until 19 July 1776 when he was liberated on
parole as long as he did not leave the City of Albany without the permission of
the Committee. It was ordered July 1776 that Daniel McAlpin, Thomas Swords,
John Munro and 26 others be removed to Connecticut to be "disposed of as
Governer Turnbull shall order and direct." They were directed to leave on the
following Monday under guard of Coll.VanSchaick. McAlpin and Swords "with
others" sent a letter dated 27 July 1776 asking for a delay in their departure. This
was granted and it ordered they "Depart from this place for Connecticut on
Friday next."
Mary McAlpin was frantic for the safety of her husband. She appeared
before the Committee and asked for her husband to be Liberated upon his
entering into parole. Her request was denied. On 2 August 1776 the board
reversed itself and ordered Daniel McAlpin held over until the next General
meeting due to his offer to "Sign a Parole of the Tenor." McAlpin was released
on Parole and it was resolved to appoint a committee to send to General Schuyler
to ask him whether "he conceives it proper that Capt. McAlpin should be
liberated from confinement, upon certain restrictions and what those restrictions
should be." The appointees were John Taylor and Philip P. Schuyler. The
General determined that due to his advanced age that little or no harm might be
expected from McAlpin and he had no objections to his release. Mary McAlpin
states that "Due to his ill state of health he was permitted to return to his estate on
his parole." The Committee ordered he be released and permitted to go home
under restrictions. Mary McAlpin states her husband was confined for a total of
15 weeks.
Still refusing to join the Rebel cause McAlpin was active in recruiting men for
the King from his Saratoga Lake home. It is later noted that McAlpin brought
over 300 men to the ranks of the King's Army. Six weeks after his release his
house was surrounded by a party of the American Forces and he was made
prisoner and detained while his house, barns, outbuildings and the area were
searched. It was well known of McAlpins attachment to the King's cause and he
was constantly harassed by his neighbors and the American Rebels as he called.
It was also well known that there was a large body of Loyalists in the area both at
Ballston and Newtown (Smith Corners, Town of Halfmoon). Joseph Bettys the
spy was from Ballston and Stephen Hooper of the Round Lake was a spy
operating in the area. Many Loyalists suffered greatly at the hand of their
neighbors. The following extract from the "Andover Review" for May, 1889, is
taken from the "Montreal Star" of June, 1889, it gives us some idea of the ill-
treatment the Loyalists received from the Rebels, and the provocation which led
the former to inflict such heavy punishment upon their persecutors:

"There was naturally persecution of Loyalists during the eight years
of strife. Measures were adopted in citizens' private committees and
Acts in Legislative bodies for punishment of the adherents of the
Crown. Tar and feathers were the usual decree of the mob, and the
committees varied it by house-breaking, smoking out, cattle
maiming, and poisoning, way-laying, insulting, plundering, and
driving the owner from his estate, or shutting him up-a prisoner in his
neighbor's house, or even in gaol. Legislative penalties were more
dignified, but also more severe. Prescription, confiscation,
banishment, imprisonment, transportation with prohibition of
returning, attaining of treason, were the usual awards."

McAlpin was soon to experience such treatment.
In February 1777 Captain McAlpin received information that he was to be
arrested again. He gathered all his male servants and according to Mary McAlpin
"betook himself to the woods" where he remained for a fortnight waiting to join
with a party of Loyalists and flee to Canada there to join Burgoyne. McAlpin and
41 others made a break for Canada . Here we have conflicting information. Mary
McAlpin states that it was February and Captain McAlpin remained in the woods
for a "Fortnight" which is two weeks. Mary tells us that due to his being closely
watched by the Rebels the Loyalists are immediately pursued by a large body of
their militia and the party of Loyalists are captured. Captain McAlpin escaped and
hid in the hollow of a tree for a week. No small feat for a man of advanced age in
an Adirondack Winter. At that time some local Loyalists found a place for him to
hide until he could joined Burgoyne at Ft. Edward which he did.
The Committee of Saratoga reported that a dangerous Combination was
carried on against the United States of America at one "Captain McAlpins" in
April. The Committee ordered McAlpin's estate searched and all of McAlpin's
papers to be seized and brought before the board. On 9 April 1777 the
Committee is informed that "Daniel McAlpin, John Morrel, Thomas Swords and
others the principal Ringleaders in a dangerous Conspiracy" had made their
escape. It is not until the 17th April 1777 that Col. VanSchaick is called for and
told that McAlpin and a number of Torys are gone to Canada by way of Jessup's
Patent and through the woods to Crown Point. It is ordered that parties be sent
out from Ft. George and Ticonderoga to intercept them and a reward of 100
dollars be given for the capture of each person. We do know that
Col.VanSchaick was successful but was it February or April? Were all captured
or did others escape with McAlpin?
Captain McAlpin was given a command of the Corps he had raised by order
of Sir William Howe. According to Neil Robertson, a Lt. in McAlpin's Corps of
Volunteers, McAlpin began to raise this unit in September of 1776. I believe
McAlpin's Corps was attached to Brig. Fraser's Brigade as was Captain Edward
Jessup's Corps of Loyal Americans. Peter Drummond who lived with McAlpin at
Saratoga Lake was commissioned a Lt. on 4 November 1776. Records indicate
he was an officer in Jessup's Corp of Loyal American Rangers. I mention him
because he lived with McAlpin and in 1781 he is listed as belonging to "Late
Major McAlpin's Corps" I find it odd that he is not listed as an officer with
McAlpin in a list of his officers in August 1777.
Mary McAlpin who remained at home in Malta was soon to suffer the fate of
many Loyalists and their families. According to Mary McAlpin's testimony "From
the day her husband left to the day she was forced from her home the Captain's
house was never without parties of the Rebels present. They lived at their
discretion and sometimes in very large numbers. They destroyed what they could
not consume.Shortly after the capture of the fleeing Loyalists a group of armed
Rebels with blackened faces broke into the McAlpin's dwelling house. They
threatened Mary and her children with violence and menace of instant death. They
confined them to the kitchen while they stripped every valuable from the home. A
few days after this, by an order of the Albany Committee, a detachment of Rebel
Forces came and seized upon the remainder of McAlpin's estate both real and
personal." Mary McAlpin was taken with her children in a wagon to Stillwater.
They were locked in a small cold hut "without fire, table, chairs or any other
convenience." There they remained for a week before being taken to Albany.
On the 9th of May 1777 an order was issued by the Committee that the
familys of Capt.McAlpin and Johnathan Jones be immediately removed and all
such effects belonging to them seized. It was resolved that George Palmer,
Dunning and Gordon effectually seize all the goods and Chattels belonging to
McAlpin and Jones. It appears the leader of the Rebels with Blackened Faces was
a Major Nicholson. A committee of Mr.Taylor and Mr.Cuyler discussed the
complaint of George Palmer concerning the actions at McAlpin's with General
Gates . On 27 May 1777 the committee reported that General Gates highly
disapproved of the conduct of Nicholson and ordered him to deliver the effects
taken from McAlpin to to Mr.George Palmer at once. On 28 May 1777 George
Palmer reported that the families and effects of McAlpin and Jones were at
Stillwater.He also reported that Mrs.Jones desired to go to Pittstown to her
mother's house and Mrs.McAlpin desired to be removed to Albany. They were
ordered to be moved at their own expense and to take with them only the clothes
they were wearing. At this time Chauncey Grahm jr and Charles Moore were
instructed to join Palmer in disposing of the McAlpin and Jones effects. On 25
September 1777 George Palmer appeared before the committee and informed
them that "some time since by order of this board" he had seized a Considerable
Quantity of furniture,farming utensils and cattle formerly belonging to
Capt.McAlpin. He asked that the cattle be sold due to the want of pasture and the
advance of the British Troops. The cattle were sold the next day.
McAlpin participated in the ill-fated Battles of Saratoga with Burgoyne. After
the defeat he refused to surrender to General Gates. He and many of the Loyalists
he commanded made their escape to Canada. McAlpin continued in the service of
the Crown. He was elevated to the rank of Major of a Corps of Older Loyalists
and placed on Barrack duty. According to Mary McAlpin her husband continued
to command until "Through long and severe fatigue his health was so impaired
and his constitution so broken and worn out that he never recovered." After
languishing five months he died. This was sometime after March 1780. At that
time he had signed a statement for Issac Mann Jr. attesting to his service in the
Revolution.
Richard Dorrough
1996